The South Side Movement

This 1973 gem is another one of those obscure ‘70s soul-funk albums released on a small independent label that has gone on to become a crate-digging favourite and a huge inspiration to modern-day hip hop artists and beyond. Chicago-based The South Side Movement began as the backing band for the Sam & Dave-inspired soul duo Simtec & Wylie; their self-titled debut on the Scepter imprint Wand—much of it written by Chicago label owner and producer James Vanleer—scored a top 20 R&B hit with “I’ Been Watchin’ You,” and they went on to make a couple of other records before disbanding in the mid-‘70s. So, your basic one-hit wonder, right? Well, not exactly...while The South Side Movement never reached the same level of commercial success, that one hit has been sampled by—are you ready for this?—The Beastie Boys, Beck, Erykah Badu, Jadakiss, and many more. The rest of the album is very tasty Windy City soul-funk, with an unexpectedly great cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition” a highlight.